


Stranger than Fiction

by BeMoreBroadway



Category: Layton Brothers: Mystery Room
Genre: Alfendi's split personality is being referred to as Crimson, F/M, Gen, Mentions of an abusive partner, POV First Person, Workplace Relationship, lots of murders
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29891424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeMoreBroadway/pseuds/BeMoreBroadway
Relationships: Alfendi Layton/Original Female Character
Kudos: 1





	1. A new hire

“DETECTIVE CONSTABLE CAMBRIDGE! Are you paying attention?!”

I jumped in surprise and nearly let out a yelp, swallowing it down at the last second. Deputy Commissioner Chan stared at me, his hands on his hips, and I noticed that he was tapping his foot rather impatiently. I nodded a bit after my heart rate calmed down. 

“Yes, sorry, Deputy Commissioner. I was miles away,” I admitted. “It's such a nice day out there, I couldn't help gazing out the window.” 

At this, I looked down at the now-slightly-crumpled papers that were clutched in my right hand, brushing a few strands of my purple hair aside with my left. The scrawls looked like chicken scratch, but the large, red stamp that signaled my new position was bright and clear. 

“All this sunshine must be a good omen on my first day, don't you think?” 

Chan huffed in disapproval as I looked up at him. 

“It makes no difference to anything! Maybe if you'd seen a lucky red bat...anyway, look, don't forget you've been assigned to what can only be described as a back-office. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's closed down tomorrow, quite frankly,” he sniffed. I bristled a bit -- who the hell did he think he was, calling out a department of the Yard like that?! -- and stood straighter, confidence in my voice. 

“Yeah, but it's where all the other cases that no one else can solve get sent, isn't it? Where the  _ real _ cases get cracked!” I grinned at the now-flustered Deputy Commissioner as someone walked up to us. With a jolt, I realized that it was Commissioner Barton and hastily saluted him. He chuckled warmly and gestured for me to put my hand down. 

“Quite so, Detective Constable Cambridge. Don't let Deputy Commissioner Chan put you off,” he said. “I'm sure you'll do very well there.” I blushed a bit. 

“Thank you, Commissioner! That’s high praise coming from you.” Chan huffed, shaking his head again. 

“Hmph, you'll have to work very hard to prove yourself, Cambridge, considering your performance up to now.” His tone was almost accusatory. My faint blush quickly intensified and I had to resist the urge to hide my face in my jacket. 

“Now I know I did particularly badly in my exams,” I said, “but that's just because I'd had a bad Balti the night before! I’d have done far better if I wasn’t focusing on my cramping stomach.” The Commissioner let out a hearty laugh and pat my back - which was quite the feat, considering he was just a head shorter than I was. 

“Don't worry, DC Cambridge. I've put you with a very special inspector. He won't let you put a foot wrong! And there's not an officer in the force who can match his powers of deduction.” His eyes sparkled with something that resembled pride. I blinked down at him. 

“Woah, really? I'll be working with someone that good? As a rookie?” 

“Oh yes. He's exceptional! In fact, I doubt there's a mystery he couldn't solve if he put his mind to it…” He trailed off after a moment, a faraway look in his eyes. I tilted my head a bit and felt the burning questions die on the tip of my tongue. No time to interrogate your superior about everything, Evelyn - you have a job to do! 

“That’s amazing! I'll get going then and introduce myself straight away!” With that, I saluted the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner and bounded off. As I walked, I barely managed to catch Chan’s voice. 

“Are you sure about this, Commissioner? He's so unstable...you could be putting her in danger!” This nearly made me freeze. Unstable? Who exactly was this guy I was assigned to? Almost as if he had heard my thoughts, the Commissioner spoke, his voice almost pained. 

“We just have to have faith. For all his faults, I still believe in Alfendi Layton.” 

I slowed down as I came up to the door of the office I had been assigned to. 

“London’s New Scotland Yard Serious Crime Division Classified Investigation Agency Headquarters,” I murmured, reading the inscription on the door. “Damn, that’s a mouthful.” Without another word, and with the conversation I had overheard already being pushed to the back of my mind, I took a deep breath and opened the office door, stepping inside.


	2. Meeting Alfendi

I walked into the office and was immediately hit with a blast of warmth. It was much hotter than the hallway, that’s for sure - most likely a side effect of the door being closed. It was rather cluttered, with papers scattered everywhere and almost floor-to-ceiling towers of files. Strangely enough, the entire room had a sense of coziness to it. It felt like home. 

“I’m sorry I’m late!” I called. “I’m the…” I trailed off as I realized I was talking to absolutely sodding no one. “...huh. Guess I’m early.” I nudged the door shut behind me as I started to explore the office I would be calling home for the hopefully foreseeable future. 

“Who are you?”

The sudden voice made me jump about three feet into the air and let out a shriek of surprise. I whipped around and was not entirely surprised to see someone else in the office. The first thing I noticed? He was tall. Incredibly so. If I stood next to him, I’d be at about his hips. The second thing I noticed was his wine-colored hair. It was loose and wavy, tied into a rather neat ponytail, and was brushed away from his face. Finally, I noticed his outfit: lab coat with newspapers stuffed in the pockets, a red and blue striped sweater, black pants, and red and white shoes. I brushed myself off and tried to look as professional as possible. 

“Erm, Evelyn. I mean, Cambridge, gah-!” I managed to compose myself and looked up at him, giving him a hesitant smile. “I’m Evelyn Cambridge. Sorry about the mush mouth...it’s a bad habit of mine I’ve been trying to break. I've just been assigned to this office.” He tilted his head for a moment, regarding me with his golden eyes before nodding a bit and straightening up. 

“Ah, yes, I do seem to recall reading some memo about a new assistant the other day,” he said, walking over to me. 

“That's me! Pleased to meet you, er…” What had the Commissioner said his name was? “...I don't think I caught your name.” 

“Oh yes. Sorry. I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?” He let out a sheepish laugh and held out his hand. “I'm Alfendi Layton. Inspector Layton around here. But please don't feel obliged to stick to formalities when you address me.” I immediately grabbed his hand with my own and gave it a shake. His grip was firm, almost like he had been doing this for years. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alfendi. Seeing as you'll be showing me the ropes and whatnot, how about I call you ‘Professor’ - ‘Prof’ for short?”

He looked slightly surprised, putting one hand to his chin in thought. 

“I'm not entirely sure that's appropriate,” he said. “Certainly, my father, who was an actual university professor, would not approve.” I nodded a bit. 

“Ah, gotcha. Well, I’m going to warn you now: I may slip up and call you that from time to time. But, until we sort something else out, is it alright if I just call you ‘boss’?” He nodded a bit. 

“Perfectly fine. You can even call me Al if you’d like. Just bear in mind that I haven't yet decided if this will be a permanent position for you or not.” That caught me by surprise.

“Oh?” 

“A rather interesting new case has just cropped up as it happens. The perfect opportunity to prove yourself.”

“First day on the job and we’re already getting into the thick of things? I’ve got a good feeling about this,” I said. Alfendi chuckled a bit and pulled a file out of the smaller stack that was on the desk, flipping it open and displaying the contents so that I could see them. 


End file.
